1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of dishwashers and, more specifically, to a system and method for the hydration of food soils in a dishwasher.
2. Description of the Related Art
Although it is advisable to thoroughly rinse dirty dishes prior to loading the dishes into a dishwasher for a future washing operation, it is not uncommon to find that many dishes are loaded into dishwashers with food remnants still on, for example, plates. At least in situations wherein a washing cycle is not initiated in short order, the food remains can dry and harden, thereby preventing the dishes from getting fully cleaned during a later washing cycle. To counter this problem, it is known in the art to apply an atomized heated detergent solution to dishware as a first step in a dishwashing cycle, as demonstrated by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0224098. Such methods require that a liquid reservoir be filled before atomizing can occur. Further, the energy required to heat dishwashing fluid is significant. In general, heat is necessary during the dishwashing process for softening greases and oils and for activating the chemistry of dishwashing detergents. However, heat can polymerize some food soils, such as egg, making the food soil even more difficult to remove during a washing cycle.
It has also been proposed in the art to employ steam as a pretreatment in an attempt to soften food residue for a dishwashing operation. However, like the other known prior art discussed above, steam requires a lot of energy to generate and can correspondingly also polymerize some foods. Based on the above, there is considered to be a need in the art for a dishwasher system and method that aids in the removal of food soils from dishware without the need for reservoirs of heated washing solution and which can be advantageously employed even when a significant amount of time elapses between the loading of soiled dishware and the activation of a washing cycle.